For many people, a trip to the museum, any museum, isn’t complete without a stop in the gift shop. Sure, it could leave you a bit conflicted to see the same objects heralded as precious on a museum’s walls reduced to key chains and refrigerator magnets. The places can be uniquely cloying.
But they’re also a lot of fun, and often full of well-chosen goods that allow you to take the spirit of the institution home with you. They also raise a lot of money for hard-working nonprofits that serve the community well.
In this season of shopping frenzy, we offer a quick guide to a few local favorites.
DENVER ART MUSEUM
DAM’s first-floor emporium is , as close to a department store as you’ll find in a Denver nonprofit. It’s an eye-pleaser, too, designed by the local architecture firm , which met the challenge of turning angular walls and windows into into a sleek retail haven. Clothes, cards, glass, books, even kitchen accessories, this place sells it all.
One find: The DAM is all about the bling this season and it has beefed up its jewelry section to accompany the exhibit Local maker Alison Blair’s necklaces, simple, elegant, affordable and decidedly non-blingy, stand out. Around: $135.
DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS
Taking a cue from its own backyard, the gardens’ shop carefully blends offerings for both inside and outside the home to create a retail experience all its own. Seeds, yard art, wind chimes and planters mix with pottery, candles, lotions and jewelry. There are lots of books and videos, and some delicate ceramics from , an artist based in Lafayette.
One find: The six-sided garden stepping stones made by Denver Botanic Gardens retired education specialist Catherine Stevens are functional and full of spirit. They’re decorated with flowers, birds and butterflies, like the gardens themselves. $65.
DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCE
It’s hard not to love this shop, which is full of adventure like the museum itself. This is definitely a kid-friendly zone with lots of brainy toys fit for all ages. You’ll also find clothing, jewelry, books, cards, calendars and lots and lots of rocks.
One find: We’ll go local here and pick the watercolor paintings by artist Ken Richards. They’re pared down and cultivated, and a real tribute to the multiple species of water life they portray. $35 framed.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART DENVER
The MCA gift shop is as slick as the -designed building itself. The taste level is high, which means you can trust its wares to be high-quality and on-trend. That said, it also has a keen sense of humor, so in addition to books, housewares, note cards and jewelry, you can buy yo-yos and out-of-print vinyl records.
One find: It’s irresistible — all of it. But if we had to walk away with just one item, we’d buy the paint-chip placemats modeled after those color-sample cards you find in paint stores. The gray shades are subdued and daffy at the same time. $16 each.
CLYFFORD STILL MUSEUM
doesn’t have a gift shop, technically, but it does have a couple of very well-curated carts in the lobby brimming with slick merchandise tied nicely to the programming, including books about contemporary artists, cards, water bottles and mugs with the museum’s logo and some swank T-shirts.
One find: It’s hard to resist the Clyfford Still composition puzzle kit, even if it’s a bit pricey. The kit, created by the museum’s education staff, comes in a wooden box and is filled with the colorful shapes and squiggles often found in paintings in the galleries. You could play Clyfford Still all day. $275.
DENVER ZOO
The zoo takes retail to a higher level with its two-story , which looks more like a mall store than an afterthought gift shop. There’s even a coffee bar inside. The place has an international flair and is packed with animal-inspired goods: T-shirts, hats, books, plush toys, jewelry and hand-made objects collected from around the globe.
One find: The giraffe statues from get it all right. They’re earth-friendly art, made from recycled bottle caps, and just the kind of thing you’d want to take home from the zoo. Serious and fun. $40.
HISTORY COLORADO CENTER
Few gift shops stay on mission like the one in the , whose goal is to elevate the people and places (and products) that make the state interesting. The books, jewelry, toys, soaps, keychains, art, snowglobes and chili mixes are nearly all tied in some way to the state. There’s an attractive amount of Indian wares in the array.
One find: The Denver-made jewelry by is too much fun, especially the earrings and necklaces fashioned cleverly from old road maps of the region. Around $40.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or twitter.com/rayrinaldi
